Remember

Good Morning My Friends!! Not only is this the last Spiritual Food of the year,...after more than twelve years, it's the last Spiritual Food message I'll be sending out. I want to thank you all so much, for allowing me to share the Word, and walking with me as I grew. That small still voice that guides, is leading me in another direction now. Sometimes in our Christian walk, we can get pretty forgetful. In the beginning we are so thankful and excited to discover a loving Savior who forgives our brokenness. The wrong signals of the world that left us in the dark are a thing of the past. And yet, as time goes by, we forget the goodness, we forget the compassion, we forget the loving kindness that was shown to us. And sometimes when we encounter others who are still struggling and stumbling,...we forget how lost we once were, and we forget to show them the way to the One who can repair their broken lives.

I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,—2 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

I think Peter was right to encourage us to refresh our memory. Only by remembering where we've been can we truly reach out to those who need Christ’s mending power. It is my wish and prayer, that you would continue after me to reach out and encourage others, and minister to their very souls. My God keep and bless us one and all.

Don't just look to the Light,...Be the Light.

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Father God, You are so good to us. You mend our brokenness and heal our wounds. Don’t allow us now to forget what marvelous grace You've shown us. Refresh our memories and teach us to reach out to a hurting world. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

"When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will soon come to love them."

Dealing With Anxiety And Fear

Good Morning!! Sometimes we forget that God’s Word is living and active, and in It we can find every answer to our every need. There are times when our experiences overwhelm us, and we can’t see the whole picture,...but God's Word is our guide. Jesus told His disciples, "You trust in God, now trust in me." He was saying you can always take God's Word at face value in any situation.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.—1 Peter 1:6 (NIV)

If life's problems have left you feeling lonely and depressed, remember Christ's words,..."I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  see, Christ has not left us alone. Trust in God’s Word. Allow these truths to dispel the lie of your emotions,...and peace will be our companion until Christ returns for us.

Peace fills our hearts when we take God at His Word.

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Father God, we thank You for Your Word that never changes,...and still communicates Your love, truth, and guidance everyday. Thank You for prayer so that we can talk with You anytime. Mostly, we thank You for heaven, our eternal home. Help us not to be overly concerned with this world, but to keep our gaze upward anticipating Your return. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

"When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will soon come to love them."

A Peaceful Place

Good Morning!! Home,...it's where we go to refuel, restore, replenish. We are all warriors,...going out into the world, where we fight for a living. But the homecoming of the weary warrior, is not always what we envisioned. We're often greeted with a snippy remark, screaming children and a frozen bed. Immediately we just want to turn, and run back to the fighting world, where at least we know who the enemy is. And a lot of the time, the world not only seems to be winning, we can feeling like the victims of water torture. That's when you are restrained, lying face up with water hitting you on the forehead, right between the eyes,…one drip at a time. It has been known to drive people crazy. Just the craving for it to stop, can be maddening.
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.—Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)
Peace,...that's all any of us really want, that one place we feel safe,...where we can find rest. Surrounded by people we love, and that love us back. Compliments, instead of complaints. People we work with, and for. But we can't just look for it,...we have to be it for others as well. ask yourselves; are you practicing water torture on the people in your lives? Are you killing them, one drop at a time? Relationships don’t fail overnight; it takes months, sometimes years of maddening quarrels to finally snap the final thread of sanity. Which means there's still a chance to turn things around,...to make, and have, a peace-filled home.

You can be the towel that wipes the sweat from your weary warrior's brow,...or the drip that drives him mad.

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Heavenly Father, we praise You for giving us Your Words of wisdom. Teach us today how to be encouragers, and not discouragers,... who hug and not harm,...who lift up, and not drip quarrels onto weary hearts. Forgive us when our homes don’t reflect Your love. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will soon come to love them."

Will To Live, Sin Free

Good Morning!! Before you came to Christ and received new life, you could sin and get away with it. You could be angry with your neighbor and let them know it, too! The Spirit of God was not living within, convicting you of your sin. However, once you've invited Christ to be Lord of your life, the battle is on, and the choice is yours. Now when you get angry with someone, the Spirit of God whispers to your spirit, "Love your neighbor." Will you obey your own desire or the will of God?

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.—Romans 6:18 (NIV)...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.—Romans 8:2 (NIV)

The Spirit of God will always convict us of our sin, but He will not force us to walk in the light of obedience. Sin is not our biggest problem,...it is our will. If we will surrender our will to God each day, acknowledging that He is the supreme authority over our lives, and then choose to walk in obedience throughout the day, we will experience victory over sin! I'm not saying you will never sin,...but when you are yielded to the Holy Spirit, you have the power not to sin,...and the result is freedom!

To conquer our sin natures, we must daily allow the Spirit of God to work in and with us.

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Heavenly Father, we confess that we have been living life our own way. We now desire that You be first in our lives. We desire that You be king over our thoughts, attitudes, passions, dreams,...and actions.Therefore, we surrender our will to You. Please, fill us with Your Holy Spirit,...and live out Your nature of love, joy, and peace through us. Thank You Father for hearing and answering our prayers. In Jesus' name. Amen.

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests."

A Purpose, To Finish

Good Morning!! One of the biggest problems for most of us is that we lack focus. There’s so much that we want to do, that we often get scattered. We allow ourselves to be pulled in multiple directions, intrigued by the possibilities of new and exciting project,..or the options associated with current ones. But finishing something requires discipline that doesn’t come naturally. Jesus, on the other hand, is the perfect picture of focus and discipline. When the disciples wanted Jesus to eat, here is His response:

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.—John 4:34 (NIV)

In the verses before John 4:34 Jesus had reached out to a Samarian woman while the disciples went to find some food. It’s the middle of a warm day. Jesus is weary from the journey and probably hungry. Yet, He is focused on the eternal needs of a woman who is living a life far from God. Jesus knows what His Father has asked Him to do and is committed to "finish" this work. In this passage, Jesus models clarity of purpose, perseverance and compassion; all characteristics that we should have.

An obedient life, is defined by discipline.

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Heavenly Father, we thank You for forgiving us when we fall short. Help us to be more like Jesus. Show us Your priorities for our lives, and help us be more focused on Your Will, and work. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests."

Lay A Lasting Foundation

Good Morning!! Jesus described the ones who heard Him as builders,...He then described the choices every builder has to make. He promised that if we listen to what God says and apply what we hear, we will build our house (or our life) on a solid foundation. He also warned that if we hear Him, but do not put do what He tells us, we are building a house (or a life) without any foundation. The first option gives us a house that will last the test of time. The second option is like building on sinking sand and that house will be washed away by the storms of life. Jesus tells us the same thing I want to tell my friends and family, "Be careful what you build with, it determines how your story ends."

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.—Luke 6:47 (NIV)

The world will tell us to build our foundation with the materials of power, performance and prestige. Television commercials communicate that academics, athletics and appearance pave the way to success,...but Jesus says the opposite. He describes a successful life as one built on the foundation of His word. He knows that academics, athletics and appearance will take us places, but only character will keep us there. All throughout scripture we find Him talking about the condition and character of our heart,...because that is what matters most. Without the foundation of responsibility, perseverance, trustworthiness and patience,...when the harsh circumstances of reality come, and trust me they will come,...the houses we have built will all come tumbling down.

This is an important truth to apply in our own lives, and also to pass on to others,...because we're not only building our foundation,...we're laying groundwork for others to build on as well.

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Father God, we want to build foundations that will last. We want to leave legacies worth living. Teach us the value of Your Word, and Ways. The world’s measuring stick tempts us away from the truest measure of success: to have a heart that reflects Your character. Help us to hear Your Words,...and apply what we hear, and lay a lasting foundation for our lives,...and those that are watching us. Amen!

"Asking for God's blessing in our lives, should mean more of Him,...not just more stuff."

The Plan Works, If You Work It

Good Morning!! God's has a unique plan for each and every one of us. God reveals His plan through the Bible! It is the instruction book of life, the blueprint for life construction, the road map for the journey. When we saturate our lives with God's Word it will naturally lead us, and guide us into His plan for our lives! Our greatest opportunity for success in this life,…and the next life, is to live that plan. God tucks into our very soul a discontentment with anything but His life "plan". If we approach each day searching for His handprints in every situation,…choosing to walk in obedience to His Word,…we will surely find ourselves smack dab in the middle of God's amazing purpose and plan.

" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."—Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

It's just this simple; the more time we spend with the Plan Maker,…the more we choose to obey that plan,…the clearer His plan grows. God always reveals His plan to an obedient heart. Yet there are times when we leave Him out of our plans, and go our own foolish way. Still, He waits. When the results are disastrous and we have made a mess of it all,…He stands ready to begin again! We could save ourselves a lot of pain and futility, if we’d simply read and follow the right set of directions!

The amazing truth is that; more than we want to know His plan for our life, He wants us to know it.

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Father, we know that in our own strength, and our own life's plan there is only sorrow and failure. Today, We choose You! We choose Your plan for our lives instead of our own,...and embrace the purpose for which we were created,...to please You with obedient hearts. Amen!

"Asking for God's blessing in our lives, should mean more of Him,...not just more stuff."